Health News Roundup: Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus; Neurocrine launches Parkinson's therapy as COVID-19 related disruptions ease and more

"This apparent delay in turnaround is causing us concern." WHO head urges rich nations to join vaccine scheme by Friday deadline Countries should join the World Health Organization's (WHO) COVAX vaccine facility by a Friday deadline to help ensure that immunizations are fairly and efficiently distributed, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Scotland says concerned about coronavirus testing backlog

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Monday she was concerned about a backlog of novel coronavirus test results which was starting to affect the swift reporting of the state of the national outbreak. "We now have a very serious concern about the backlog of test results being faced by the UK lab network," Sturgeon told reporters. "This apparent delay in turnaround is causing us concern."

WHO head urges rich nations to join vaccine scheme by Friday deadline

Countries should join the World Health Organization's (WHO) COVAX vaccine facility by a Friday deadline to help ensure that immunizations are fairly and efficiently distributed, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday. So far, 92 lower-income nations are seeking assistance via the COVAX facility, part of the WHO's ACT Accelerator to boost development of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics to combat the pandemic. Some 80 higher-income nations have expressed interest, but many must still confirm their intention to join by the end of this week.

Neurocrine launches Parkinson's therapy as COVID-19 related disruptions ease

Neurocrine Biosciences Inc on Monday launched its add-on treatment for patients with Parkinson's disease nearly five months after Food and Drug Administration's approval, as the COVID-19 pandemic delayed its roll out in the United States. Since the pandemic's outbreak, drugmakers' sales representative were restricted from meeting doctors busy with COVID-19 patients, but now they are open to such meetings to discuss new drugs. This made it an appropriate time to launch Ongentys, Neurocrine Chief Executive Officer Kevin Gorman said.

Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus

Global coronavirus cases marked a record one-day increase, with many countries facing a second wave of infections, while a pandemic preparedness panel slammed the collective failure of political leaders to heed warnings and prepare for a crisis.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS Gilead to buy cancer drugmaker Immunomedics for $21 billion

Gilead Sciences Inc will acquire biotech company Immunomedics Inc for $21 billion, a move that will strengthen its cancer portfolio by gaining access to a promising drug, the two companies said in a joint statement on Sunday. The deal provides Gilead access to Immunomedics' breast cancer treatment drug Trodelvy, which was granted an accelerated FDA approval in April for an aggressive and tough to treat type of breast cancer.

Relief and fear as Portuguese students go back to school

Wearing masks and trying to keep a safe distance, more than a million pupils returned to schools across Portugal on Monday, a long-awaited moment for many after students were forced in March to learn remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic. At the Maria Amalia high school in Lisbon teenagers were called into the classroom one by one and asked to disinfect their hands, while windows were left open.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: 'World in disorder' Hospital ICUs lean on telemedicine amid U.S. COVID-19 crisis

As the coronavirus pandemic spreads deeper into America's small towns and rural outposts, Dr. Tallulah Holmstrom has seen familiar faces fill her intensive-care unit in Camden, South Carolina. A native of this hamlet of 7,000 people, Holmstrom saw its ICU threatened with closure in recent years as specialists departed for bigger cities. Now faraway doctors are helping treat the community's COVID-19 patients, thanks to technology.

Russia reports 5,509 new coronavirus cases, 57 deaths

Russia reported 5,509 new coronavirus cases on Monday, pushing its national tally to 1,068,320, the fourth largest in the world. Authorities said 57 people had died in the last 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 18,635.

AstraZeneca's UK COVID-19 vaccine trials restarted, EU medical register shows

AstraZeneca's British clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine, one of the most advanced in development, resumed on Monday, according to the European clinical trials database EudraCT. The trial's status changed to "restarted" from "temporarily halted", the database showed.